"When the crew of the enterprise is called back home, they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis.

"With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

"As our heroes are propelled into an epic chase game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew."

Now, there's been a lot of speculation as to what pre-established "Trek" villain "Sherlock's" Benedict Cumberbatch is going to play in the movie -- if any at all. A quick look at IMDB lists him as "Khan (rumored)".

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm pretty sure the "Star Trek Into Darkness" baddie is Gary Mitchell from one of the first orginal series episodes, "Where No Man Has Gone Before." Let's break the synopsis for "Star Trek Into Darkness" down and compare it with the "STTOS" episode in question:

Gary Mitchell and James T. Kirk Were Buddies From Back In The Day

In "Where No Man Has Gone Before", Mitchell (played by "2001" actor Gary Lockwood) was a good friend of James T. Kirk from way back in Starfleet Academy, and accompanies the crew on one of their first voyages. Compare to "they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization" and "With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt..."

Gary Mitchell Became Crazy And Received Super-Powers And Tried To Kill Everybody

After the Enterprise goes through the Galactic Barrier, Mitchell receives super-ESP powers and becomes more and more unstoppable and dangerous. Also: he becomes stone-cold crazy. Compare to: "an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization" and " a one man weapon of mass destruction".

All these things seem to point far more to Mitchell than Khan.

Compare these pics:

"Where No Man Has Gone Before":

"Star Trek Into Darkness":

Cumberbatch looks loony in that pic, and while Khan is deadly, he's not a shrieking loon.

And isn't that what the title of the movie all about? Trekking "Into Darkness" -- the darkness of Mitchell's slip into super-powered insanity?

Lastly, there is some mystery as to what character Alice Eve is playing in the film. Eve talked to MTV News earlier this year, and while she didn't confirm her character, she did note that "I'm a healthy amount of time in the makeup chair — though not as long as Spock."

Alice Eve during an interview with MTV News about "Star Trek Into Darkness"

Might I offer that Eve is playing the woman in the episode who also receives the same psionic powers as Mitchell, Dr. Elizabeth Dehner; she was originally played by Sally Kellerman, and both Kellerman and Eve are blonds. As for why Eve might be spending some time in the makeup chair, this is what happens to Dr. Dehner:

So these are all the reasons why I think Gary Mitchell -- or, at the very least, a Mitchell-esque character -- is the villain of "Star Trek Into Darkness." I could be completely off on this -- or I could be totally correct, and win a pair of "Golden Spock Ears" or no-prize of some kind for my efforts.

UPDATE: It has also been pointed out to me that Gary Mitchell's story is featured prominently in the first arc of the IDW comic based on the new "Star Trek" movies:

These comics are supposed to be in-canon, and set up possible background info for the movies. So if my theory is correct, the IDW comics have basically provided us with the "origin" of Gary Mitchell, allowing "Star Trek Into Darkness" just jump into what happens after the crew dumps Mitchell on an abandoned planet after "Where No Man Has Gone Before."